The Psychology of Self-Injury

Janis Whitlock, PhD, from Cornell University and Senior Advisor for The JED Foundation explains how caregivers with lived experience of self-injury can navigate conversations with their children about their own history of self-harm, and how parents can manage heightened limits to confidentiality when their child who self-injures turns 18 while in therapy.

Drs. Greg Lengel, Maria Zetterqvist, Amy Brausch, and Jason Washburn explain why they now advocate for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm to be considered a clinical specifier rather than a disorder in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Nani Kim, RN, at the University of Texas at Austin shares a review of research on help-seeking behaviors for self-injury and self-harm.

Kirsty Hird, PhD, from The Kids Research Institute Australia explains in depth why people self-injure or self-harm according to six specific theoretical models of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI).

Lisa Van Hove, PhD, from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels University) in Belgium reveals the prevalence and characteristics of self-injury and self-harm among older adults (ages 60+).

Moye Xin, PhD, from Xi’an University in China shares insights from his research exploring how conflict about one's gender role may increase risk for engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm.

Ben from California shares his story of lived experience of self-injury as a man, including how he views recovery and copes with significant scarring from self-harm wounds.

Sylvanna Mirichlis, PhD, and Stephen Lewis, PhD, talk all things Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD). We also share some of our favorite clips from past episodes for those new to the topic of self-harm.

Spencer Ellison and Jennifer Muehlenkamp, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire tell us what they learned when they asked therapists about their willingness to treat individuals who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury or self-harm.

Tattoo artist Elena from Illusions by Ink Studio in Irving, Texas, discusses paramedical tattooing and invites her client with lived experience of self-injury to share her experience with camouflage tattooing of her self-harm scars.

Ellie Wildbore from the United Kingdom and National Health Service (NHS) shares her story of lived experience of atypical severe self-injury, her research on self-harm, and her experience as one of the first Lived Experience Research Ambassadors working in NHS mental health.

Maryam Gholamrezaei, PhD, C.Psych, from Toronto, Canada, discusses self-injury and help-seeking among ethnically diverse populations and shares cultural insights into reasons for self-harm among individuals in the Middle East.

Michelle Hiner, MS, from Rutgers University in New Jersey breaks down how high and low arousal emotions affect the perception of pain among those who engage in self-injury and self-harm.

Johan Bjureberg, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden walks us through Emotion Regulation Individual Therapy for Adolescents (ERITA) for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm.

Nicholas J. Westers, Psy.D., ABPP from Children's Health and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas provides practical tips and considerations for supporting individuals who engage in self-injury and self-harm.

Lotte Rubæk, MSc, from Denmark discusses the role of social media among individuals who self-injure as well as why she resigned from her role on Meta's (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) self-harm global expert panel.

Christina Robillard, M.Sc., from the University of Victoria in Canada explains the relationship between self-criticism and self-injury as well as other self-harm behaviors like disordered eating.

Thomas from Ontario, Canada shares his story of lived experience of self-injury and gender dysphoria, including how self-harm evolved for him over time as a transgender man.

Jonas Bjärehed, PhD, from Lund University in Sweden compares rates of self-injury and self-harm among youth from 2007 to 2023.

Amy Lucas, PhD, from Speek Health in the United Kingdom talks about how we can support siblings of those who self-injure and self-harm.

Greg Lengel, PhD, from Drake University in Iowa walks us through self-harm in the DSM-5 and the six criteria for the proposed diagnosis of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder.

Brooke Ammerman, PhD, and Greg Lengel, PhD, define nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and self-harm.

Brianna Turner, PhD, from the University of Victoria in Canada explains why the boundaries between various forms of self-harm and self-injury may be less clear than implied by research and definitions.

Allison from Washington State shares her story of lived experience of self-injury, scarring, and shame as well as how she makes sense of her self-harm scars in the context of her faith.

Caroline Roberts from the University of Minnesota bridges the conversation gap between self-injurious behavior (SIB) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), including self-harm among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Julian Koenig, Dr. sc. hum. (PhD), from the University of Cologne in Germany discusses the psychology of pain in self-injury and self-harm.

Rachel Acheson, PhD, and Maria Papadima, PhD, from the Association of Child Psychotherapists in London describe how today's "adolescent crisis," including self-injury and self-harm, is often expressed through mental health language.

Nathan Peterson, LCSW, from OCD and Anxiety Counseling in Allen, Texas, explains the difference between Self-Harm OCD and nonsuicidal self-injury as well as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for harm OCD.

Together, a dad and his young adult daughter share their story of her self-injury and self-harm.

Stephen Lewis, PhD, & Penelope Hasking, PhD, introduce a new way of thinking about self-injury, self-harm, and recovery.

Michael Kaess, MD, from the University of Bern in Switzerland explains the neurobiology of self-injury and self-harm.

Kim Gratz, PhD, and Matthew Tull, PhD, from the University of Toledo walk us through Emotion Regulation Group Therapy (ERGT) intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm.

Ruth Tatnell, PhD, from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia describes how the COVID-19 pandemic and first lockdown affected rates of self-injury and self-harm.

Wendy Lader, PhD, author of "Bodily Harm: the Breakthrough Healing Program for Self-Injurers" and Co-Founder and retired Clinical Director of the S.A.F.E. Alternatives Program in St. Louis, MO, describes how the treatment for self-injury and self-harm has evolved over the years.

Taylor Burke, PhD, from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital discusses the psychological effects of scars resulting from self-injury and self-harm.

Kirsty from New Zealand shares her story of lived experience of self-injury and how her experiences inform her work in advocating for, and instilling hope in, others with similar stories of self-harm.

Kaylee Kruzan, PhD, from Northwestern University in Chicago shares about digital apps and online interventions for self-injury and self-harm.

Imke Baetens, PhD, from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels University) in Belgium and PhD student Lisa Van Hove discuss the prevalence and characteristics of self-injury and self-harm among children under age 12.

Sarah Swannell, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in Australia and Lecturer at the University of Queensland discusses the prevalence and characteristics of self-injury and self-harm among individuals over age 40.

Christina Beck, a screenwriter, director, and actress discusses her film "PERFECTION" and what inspired her to create a film in which the protagonist engages in self-injury and self-harm.

Kathryn Gardner, PhD, from the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom discusses the significance of where on the body individuals choose to engage in self-cutting behavior and the psychology of self-injury and self-harm location.

Marc Wilson, PhD, from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand shares about cross-cultural representations of self-injury and self-harm.

Mallory Dobias, MA, from Stony Brook University describes Project SAVE, an online, single-session intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm.

Kathryn Gordon, PhD, from Fargo, North Dakota discusses the relationship between disordered eating and self-harm, how often they co-occur, why they co-occur, and physical pain sensitivity amidst eating disorder behavior and self-injury.

Brittany from Texas shares her story of lived experience of self-injury and self-harm and how her faith has helped her navigate both positive and negative reactions from religious leaders.

Nancy Heath, PhD, from McGill University in Canada explains how schools can respond appropriately to students who engage in self-injury and self-harm.

Jennifer Hughes, PhD, MPH, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, describes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as an intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm.

Brittany Tinsley of @brittanytinsleywrites Instagram explains how she navigates talking about her wounds and scars of self-injury and self-harm with her medical providers during routine doctor visits.

Yukari Seko, PhD, from Ryerson University in Canada describes how self-injury is depicted in various genres of Japanese manga and how graphic novels like manga can be utilized for good in understanding and treating self-injury and self-harm.

Jessica Garisch, PhD, from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, gives a sneak peek into how she addresses self-injury and self-harm in therapy sessions with youth and their parents.

Lindsay Taliaferro, PhD, from the University of Central Florida discusses the prevalence of self-injury among individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ); common risk and protective factors; and the intersectionality of race, sexual minority status, and gender diversity among those who self-injure and self-harm.

Jason Washburn, PhD, ABPP, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine explains how self-injury and self-harm can effectively and compassionately be managed in inpatient settings.

Lexy from Australia shares her story of lived experience of self-injury and stigma and how it has influenced her work in researching self-injury and self-harm.

Barent Walsh, PhD, author of "Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide" and Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Clinical Consultant at Open Sky Community Services in Worcester, MA, describes the forms, functions, and treatment of atypical, severe self-injury and self-harm.

Glenn Kiekens, PhD, from KU Leuven University in Belgium discusses how researchers measure self-injury and self-harm in real time using advances in technology.

Peggy Andover, PhD, from Fordham University talks us through the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm.

Sarah Victor, PhD, from Texas Tech University discusses the prevalence of self-injury among psychologists and psychology graduate students, how psychologists with and without lived experience of self-injury can appropriately provide therapy to clients and supervision to trainees with a history of self-injury, and how individuals with lived experience of self-injury can be involved in teaching and research on self-injury and self-harm.

Malika, creator of Selfharmerproblems YouTube and Instagram pages, shares her story of lived experience of self-injury and self-harm.

Brooke Ammerman, PhD, from the University of Notre Dame provides insight into how individuals who self-injure come to decide to disclose their self-injury and self-harm and suggests helpful ways to respond to self-injury disclosures.

A mother shares her experience of when she learned about her daughter's self-injury and self-harm and how she responded as a parent.

Stephen Lewis, PhD, from the University of Guelph in Canada and Immediate Past President of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) discusses the state of health information about self-injury on the internet and addresses the risks and benefits of seeking self-injury and self-harm content online.

Penelope Hasking, PhD, from Curtin University in Australia and current President of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) discusses how the words we use to describe self-injury and those who engage in the behavior may either foster empathy and help-seeking or further stigmatize those who self-injure and self-harm.

Janis Whitlock, PhD, from Cornell University and Senior Advisor for The JED Foundation explains what parents and caregivers should look for if they suspect their child is engaging in self-injury. She also discusses how caregivers can effectively talk to their child about self-injury and self-harm and when to seek therapy.

Jennifer Muehlenkamp, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire describes the difference between suicidal and nonsuicidal self-harm and explains how we came to use the term “nonsuicidal self-injury” (NSSI). She also discusses what characteristics of self-injury place someone at greater risk for attempting suicide.

Why do people self-injure or self-harm? Especially when it seems to contradict our instinct for self-preservation? The simple answer is that for the majority of those who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), it helps them to feel better; it’s a coping strategy. But of course, the answer is often more complex than that.